NEW HAVEN — Public money is in short supply, but not ideas as planning continues for the Long Wharf area that is envisioned as new districts that could rival Boston and Baltimore in their waterfront development and tempt a hedge fund investor to put money here.

“They are doing a lot of dreaming for us and they are putting it in three-dimension,” Economic Development Administrator Matthew Nemerson said of the unfolding vision of Perkins Eastman, the consultants hired to look out over several decades and lay a foundation for five walkable sections along Long Wharf that would support jobs and residences.

Right from the start of a discussion this week however, part of that foundation was a reality check.

“We are kind of on our own,” Nemerson said at the meeting in the Kimberly Avenue section. “It can’t be magical thinking. There is no magic here.”

Sixty years ago, when Long Wharf was created by bringing in fill to support a highway, New Haven redevelopment attracted hundreds of million of public dollars.

This time the state and federal governments are not coming to help either because of fiscal problems in Connecticut or disinterest at the national level.

The aim of the Long Wharf Responsible Growth Plan was to demonstrate to the current land owners the potential for change by attracting other private partners, who in turn can help with the necessary public infrastructure.

At the second public hearing with Perkins Eastman, there were two big takeaways: creation of an inner harbor for public boating and an extension of the pedestrian tunnel from Union Station to Long Wharf.

Eric Fang, a principal in the company, said New Haven has a unique combination of assets at Long Wharf considering the highway, railroad and waterfront, as well as about 130 acres of underutilized land out of a total of 400 acres.

Already supporting 5,000 workers at all skill levels, as well as the hotel, healthcare and retail growth sectors, they view this area as key to the city’s future.

The group is predicting some 2,900 more private jobs will be added in the next five years with 6,000 by 2030 if it continues to grow by at least half the 7.2 percent growth that happened from 2009 to 2016.

The planning basis for the study is five districts, all 1,500 feet in diameter, representing easily walkable spaces.

They include: Gateway District now anchored by Jordan’s Furniture; Innovation District where Assa Abloy is located; Market District, home to the food terminal; the Parkway District anchored by Ikea and the Harbor District for public water access.

“There is so much to build on, there is such a rich environment ... ,” Fang said.” Even the kind of funky, gritty character of the area itself is kind of cool.”

One big proposed amenity is a ribbon-like park that would stretch from north to south, creating new circulation for cars, bikes and pedestrians, while it would also take care of stormwater management in an area that is prone to flooding.

Fang said the plan would also complete the trails that have been started, but not finished, that will bring people to the waterfront.

“Instead of building pipes, you are building green, and building amenities that attract wildlife and are pleasant to look at,” he said of the park.

One of the sketches presented by Fang showed a circle representing a 10-minute walk for virtually the entire area to Union Station through the extension of the pedestrian tunnel that brings passengers to the rail platforms.

“Wouldn’t that be a total game-changer in terms of providing access to the area and from this area to the region?” Fang asked. “We know New Haven has superb access by rail to the enitre Northeast corridor.”

He said this has been done elsewhere and here they possibly could incorporate bikes to the train station. “It’s a great way to get around and perfect for this area as it is flat,” Fang said.

Instead of the very large parking lots in the interior, Fang envisions additional streets and smaller blocks that are more walkable.

A major overriding concern is resiliency from storm surges and coastal flooding and the plan would meld with the city’s efforts on these protections, he said.

Fang’s partner, Stan Eckstut, said overall they see the need for denser more urban development for this section of the city and reminded the crowd of residents and business representatives that the whole thing is market driven with no plans to raze any of the structures.

No quick fixes here.

“This all plays out over time,” he said, estimating 10 to 20 years as the market dictates.

The specific suggestions for each district can change, but what is needed is a consensus on the proposed infrastructure that will enable private development to take off. “You can’t just do that willy-nilly,” he said.

“The public does the infrastructure. The private does the private potions and they work hand in hand together,” Eckstut said.

Eckstut said the waterfront is one part of many places they are creating, but they are all taking New Haven’s downtown grid of nine squares surrounding the Green as a model.

Each district would make a public place — not a Green — as its center, such as a garden or main street, wharves, a market square or parkways.

“This is a pragmatic vision, you could say, learning from the past,” Eckstut said, particularly New Haven’s past

Eckstut said New Haven Harbor, likely the biggest on Long Island Sound, “is probably one of the most amazing bodies anywhere in the world and right now it is like a sleeping giant.”

He said it is starting to stir with the Canal Dock Boathouse due to open this summer, but Eckstut said he sees so much more potential with the idea of an inner harbor - a great waterfront destination between Boston and Baltimore.

It will not be for people who own boats, he said.

“This is for everybody else,” Eckstut said, “including me ... (it’s) a chance to get out on the water and do various tours, fishing, whatever, eating dinner, etc. This is what a commerical harbor does.”

The distance from New Haven’s Nature Park to the Mill River is the same length as Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. “It reinvented an entire city ... and we are saying, you can do the same thing,” Eckstut said.

“We are proposing a whole series of maritime activities there,” he said.

The land contiguous to it could support residences and a neighborhood. “The land values will be realized when the water uses are so popular that more and more and more people want to come to the waterfront. ... that is why retail and restaurants and people want to live there,” he said of Baltimore.

There will also be a plan to replace the oil tanks, if at some point they lose their value.

The sketch for maritime activities shows a rowing pond near the Canal Dock Boathouse. They also propose to create little islands of resiliency plantings to control the floodwaters and protect rowers and kayak users.

There is a day pier where people could visit for a couple of hours or days and walk to restaurants in Wooster Square and a larger pier for tour boats.

“This is what cities that have great waterfronts do. They plan the water even before the land,” he said.

In the Parkway District, next to the Harbor District, he said the city should have a plan in place in the event the post office building comes on the market.

The vision for the Marcel Breuer building owned by Ikea is to house a hotel, while this area could also use a series of parks for stormwater management as was done in Boston with residences built around it. The suggestion is to use a portion of the Ikea parking lot for a garage.

The Market District would capitalize on the Long Wharf Theatre and the food terminal, expanding food and entertainment values of this section. Development would be oriented around a new east-west green park with a central market hall as an anchor.

“If there is anything I know about New Haven, it is food ... you know this better than anybody,” Eckstut,” said. “Make it more of a destination for the city,” by creating a main street to the market square.

The Innovation District would pitch small inexpensive buildings for high tech work on land next to Assa Abloy, while the Gateway District, nearest the Hill, would feature a “great family garden,” and more medical offices, maybe a hotel or a veladrome.

An economist with the group listed pros and cons of the area.

There appear to be more helpful signs for growth and opportunites than harmful ones, according to the analysis. The greatest threats included the state’s finances, uncertainty of the healthcare market and intense competition from other northern cities with educated millennials.

The next hearing, where there will be more on the economics of the plan, will be at the end of April.

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